Ascension

Ephesians 1:15–23 NIV

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Do you have a reputation? When people hear about you, what do you think comes to mind? What are the things that you are known for? We all have our opinions about certain people or groups of people which relates to their reputation. For example. What comes to mind when you think of . . .

Elvis Presley?

Abraham Lincoln?

The Eagles?

Amy Grant?

Bill McCollum?

The Green Bay Packers?

The Chicago Bears?

The Amish?

This can also apply to places, product brands, types of vehicles organizations, etc. This list is seemingly endless.

At the beginning of our text, St. Paul refers to the reputation that the Ephesians had. Did you catch it? They were known for their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all of God’s people. This meant that they had a good reputation. What greater compliments can a Christian receive than that they believe in Jesus and trust in him? What better way to be remembered than that we show ourselves to be Jesus’ disciples by loving one another as he commanded his first disciples and that we reflected on last weekend? Love for all God’s people is evidence of our faith and helpful to all.

St. Paul had heard about it. Most likely by word of mouth. People do talk about other people. But rather than complain about them or seek to “dis” the Ephesians, others most have been speaking well of them. And so St. Paul heard about it.

What did he do?

1. Well, one thing he did was to commend them to others in his day and through this letter to others. It reminds me of what Jesus said when he was anointed just prior to his sufferings and death.

(NIV)

6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

2. He prayed for them. We do well to follow his example. If we believe that our God is in control and that after his ascension into heaven Jesus entered into a position of power above all things except for God the Father, we realize that we can prayer for others so that God will bless their lives.

Jesus prayed for others.

John 17:20–23 NIV

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Certainly we are commanded to pray to God for others:

Ephesians 6:18–20 NIV

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

James 5:16 NIV

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

1 Timothy 2:1–2 NIV

1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Is praying for others a regular part of your own devotion to God? PAUSE

There are many things that we can pray for on behalf of others. The content of St. Paul’s prayer here relates to the event in Jesus’ life that we celebrate this weekend. His ascension into heaven. Recall what St. Paul prays for:

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

We are to get to know God better. We recall the encouragement in (NIV)

17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Colossians 1:9–10 NIV

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

We grow in our knowledge of God through his Word — the Bible. Are you focused on using this to get to know God better?

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

We are to be hopeful about the future. Not just the good things that can happen to us now but the eternal glories of heaven which God has prepared for all those who trust in Jesus and show love for one another.

1 Corinthians 15:19–22 NIV

19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

And we are to know the power of God. Power used correctly is much to be desired. One of my favorite actors is Tim Allen. He has a reputation. As the lead actor of a popular sit com called “The Last Man Standing” his conservative views seem to have led to that show being cancelled in spite of its popularity. For Tim Allen fans, the show will resume but with another network. Tim Allen is also known for his show “Home Improvement” which was based on his stand up comedy routines which often emphasized “More Power”. But in a comic way his attempts at more power often ended up in potential disaster.

Not so with God. Jesus has “More Power”. Far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. He has this power as the Son of God.

When St. Paul prays that we now God’s power, we realize it in several ways.

1.Resurrection of Jesus. Death seems to be the most powerful force on earth and cannot be avoided. We must all die. God shows his power over death by the resurrection of Jesus and his promise to raise us on the Last Day.

2.Ascension of Jesus. The ascension is more than Jesus levitating. It is his assumption to the “right hand of God” which is a way of describing that he is in the power position and that he uses his power for the church.

Recall what Jesus said about the church to his disciples after Peter made his confession: (NIV)

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The church is the Holy Christian Church—the communion of saints. This includes all those who confess Jesus as Lord. It began with just a handful of people in Israel. It now encompasses about 2 billion people throughout the world and has grown for almost 2000 years. What other organizations have been so successful? Jesus has certainly used his power for the church and promises to use it forever.

And he uses his power for individuals in the church as well. We can tap into that power by praying for ourselves and others. We can extend that power by having a reputation that the Ephesians had: Trust in Jesus and loving all the saints. Amen.